Product Description
Do you want a better understanding of the text? Do you want to know how to improve your grade? Do you want to know how examiners think? Whatever you want, York Notes can help. York Notes for GCSE offer an exciting approach to English Literature and will help you to achieve a better grade. This market-leading series has been completely updated to reflect the needs of today's students. The new additions are packed with detailed summaries, commentaries on key themes, characters, language and style, illustrations, exam advice and much more. Written by GCSE esaminers and teachers, York Notes are the authoritative guides to exam success Features include: *Improve your grade section *Examiner's secrets *Checkpoints to test your understanding *Check the Net/Film/Book features *Self-tests with space for answers *Author and Context section *Fun and interesting facts about the textAmazon.com Review
Eighteen-year-old Francis Cassavant has returned from WorldWar II an unwilling hero. Although he can still see and hear, agrenade has blown away his nose, his ears, his teeth, and his cheeks,leaving him faceless.Hiding his ghastly wounds with bandages and awhite silk scarf, Francis welcomes the anonymity his mutilation bringshim, for he has returned to his hometown with a secret mission--a plotfor revenge (against his enemy Larry LaSalle) that he values more thanhis own life. Francis's eerily matter-of-fact acceptance of hishideous mien, along with his sweetness and selflessness, contrastsharply with his obsessive need for vengeance. No one recognizes himas the quiet kid who once loved Nicole Renard and hung out with fellowteens at the Wreck Center. LaSalle, formerly a charismatic youthleader, has also come back from the war a hero, and only Francis knowsthe dark side of this older man's concern for young people.But doesLaSalle's one evil act wipe out all the good he has done? And isFrancis just as guilty because he could have prevented it and didn't?

Robert Cormier--winner of the Margaret A. Edwards Award and many otherhonors--has once again crafted a riveting yarn of psychologicalsuspense. Francis's story is revealed only gradually in hints thatkeep the reader guessing. Young teens will find it a quick andabsorbing read, and older adolescents (and full-fledged adults, too)will relish pondering the many-sided ethical questions Cormier raisesabout heroism, guilt, and forgiveness. (Ages 13 to 16) --PattyCampbell ... Read more

Customer Reviews (41)

"I don't know what a hero is anymore, Nicole."
"Write about it, Francis.Maybe you can find the answer that way."

So he'll find that typewriter and get started.

Really a poignant narrative, this story.It had the potential to be ugly, full of vengeance, revenge, hate and self-pity.But the circumstances that led young Francis, our war veteran and hero, to be in the predicament in which he finds himself would have justified his vengeance, hatefulness, self-pity and - "the worst sin of all" - despair.Thankfully, in the end this was not an ugly story of hate and revenge, though hateful events are portrayed.

There are various thematic discussions that could be had by those who read this story, but the one that captured me the most is the societal notion of the "hero" and what defines such.As young Francis finally discovered - a discovery that saved his life from the sin of despair - heroism is not determined by how society and the masses might define it.It goes way beyond...and is very personal.

I appreciated how the author uses his protagonist to present themes to the reader that might provide for some introspection.I would certainly read more by Cormier.

A story of hope: "Maybe I should buy a typewriter and get started."
From the very first introduction to Francis Cassavant, I was taken with this powerful narrative. To have no face, to be misunderstood, to be anonymous, to have every action misinterpreted in a confused and rapidly changing world...to have a plan of revenge, to learn valuable lessons, to gain hope, to live...
Cormier is economical and powerful in this book, as in the villain Larry's question, "Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?", followed by his own answer, for which you will have to read the book. He creates a picture (of a period in history and of a community and a character) which was very moving. This piece explores what makes a true hero, which the reader discovers together with the protagonist. It is only when Francis finds the answer that he is able to move on and find hope and future, "Maybe I should try...".

A beautiful story which was introduced to me by an esteemed colleague, when talking about favourite reads, with the line "It's amazing that the heart makes no noise when it cracks."

An interesting take on the word 'hero' and what it means to us
I have to admit that I'm not the target audience for this book (being forty something) but that's certainly not stopped me enjoying other books aimed at teenagers. This however, whilst keeping my interest, isn't one of my favourites although it IS thought provoking.

The story highlights the innocence of youth and how impotent we can be when we're young. Our emotions and feelings can be confusing during those teenage years and this particular story highlights how some adults abuse the trust put in them.

The title of the book plays on the concept of what a hero is. Some people we admire and consider to be our heroes aren't heroes at all, they're weak and disappoint us...yet without them would we be the people we are? Others are more ordinary in our eyes and we don't always consider them to be heroic...but are they the real heroes?

Even as an adult I had conflicting feelings about one of the main characters and one line in particular made me think.
"Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?" Instinctively the answer is yes, yet it's a little more complex than that.

This is a sombre book which deals with the pain of growing up, guilt and disappointment. Although the ending cannot be described as uplifting and didn't end happily ever after as I think we instinctively would like sometimes - I like to think it was hopeful and that Francis went on to learn from his experiences and get over his guilt - the guilt he didn't deserve to carry.

My favorite Cormier
I have heard great recommendations of this book.However, when I started it, I wasn't exactly thrilled.It was okay, but so far it didn't seem like anything completely different or amazing.As soon as I was really starting to feel let down, though, Cormier caught my complete attention with his mysterious ommissions and made me start to wonder "what on earth is going on?"In Heroes, Robert Cormier uses the reader's curiosity as a tool to lure them, absorbing them in the book.
When I finally figured out why everything was happening as it was, I was once again left with a question: Does one sin wipe away all the good things?The main character, Francis' childhood hero, Larry LaSalle, is suddenly revealed for a rapist as Francis realizes that LaSalle is ravaging this poor teenager's own girlfriend.Francis struggles to realize if deep down, there is still good in Larry LaSalle.
Heroes stirs curiosity, startles with imagery, and completely dissects the word "hero", letting you discover what it really means.Hero will never be the word it was after reading this book.

Dark Story of Revenge
Francis has just returned home from World War II, to the town where he grew up.No one knows he has returned, though.His family is no longer living there, and Francis has lost most of his face.He fell on a grenade in France and the parts of his face that are still intact he keeps covered with a scarf.Francis has not just returned to live out his life.He has returned to kill the man who was his childhood hero, the director of activities at the town's recreation center where he spent much of his time as a child.

Over the course of this book, as Francis waits for this hero to return to town, he tells the story of his younger years in town and explains why this man must die.He also reexamines the idea of heroism, especially when people refer to him as a hero.

This story was intriguing and thought-provoking, but like most of Cormier's books the tone was so dark and full of absolute despair, it left me feeling depressed by the time I finished it. ... Read more

Product Description
Denny Colbert is forced to move frequently and forbidden normal teenage privileges because of an incident that took place before his birth, during which his father was involved in an accident that killed twenty-two children. Reprint. PW. NYT. H. VY. AB. " ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Good, Not Great
I am a huge Cormier fan.I think _After the First Death_ is perhaps the most accessible book for high school readers willing to apply some psychological chops to a novel--small "b" brilliant._The Chocolate War_ and _I am the cheese_ are both spectacular studies in character, peer pressure, self-worth, and independence, both with compelling prose, elements of surprise, and steady plot progression.

_In the Middle of the Night_ is a just step down from those three titles.Cormier seems like he is trying to make a complicated story out of a somewhat simple one, rather than making an even more complicated story out an already complex one (like in the other three titles).It didn't work as much for me.He could have done much more to develop the relationship between Denny and his father, which could have led to some very cool stuff toward the end.Denny's character didn't seem to have the depth of Adam Farmer, Jerry Renault, or Ben Briggs (characters in his other novels).Signature touches of surprise, even with subtle foreshadowing, and very credible dialogue make the novel still a good read.It just doesn't have the depth of his other great novels.

I'd hate to have a kid read this book first and not read another because it just isn't all that compelling.Read one of those other three first!

Retaliation
Years before Denny was born, his father, then just a teenager, worked in a theater.This theater, The Globe, used to be a spectacular place to see a show, whether the show was a movie or something live on stage.One of their Halloween traditions was to have a magic show for little children in the area, children who were poor or orphaned.

The year that Denny's father was sixteen, he was working at this show.When he heard a noise from the old and decrepit balcony they used for storage, his boss sent him up with a book of matches for light, to investigate.Once up there, Denny's father accidentally started a fire.Almost immediately the balcony collapsed onto the audience below, killing 22 children.

Although Denny's father's name was cleared and police found that the fire was not linked to the balcony collapsing, people needed someone to blame for the tragedy.After the theater owner, who had been ordered to have the balcony fixed, committed suicide, Denny's father was the only one left to blame.

All throughout Denny's life he has been protected very carefully by his parents.They have moved many times, but their moves have not stopped the phone calls his father receives in the middle of the night, especially when Halloween approaches.Denny has been given strict instructions never to answer the phone, and those are instructions he takes seriously--until the year he is sixteen.Denny is tired of the way his father takes all of this abuse, and he wants to do something about it.Then phone calls start coming for Denny.Who is calling him?The woman on the other end of the line sounds nice and friendly, but is she all that she seems?

I liked the way the book started in the present day but then went back and devoted so much time to Denny's father's life, in order to explain how the situation started.I also liked Denny's father's philosophy on why he didn't fight back when people called him.I didn't like that Denny's father blamed himself and that he didn't have anyone to tell him he wasn't at fault.I also thought Denny was incredibly stupid to believe the woman on the phone, since he knew about his father's past and he knew the types of people who called his house.

Thriller
This book was action packed but sometimes confuseing.
I think its worth reading and spooky . Although the only problem i can think of (that didnt bother me but might bother you) is that you never REALLY know whats going on untill the very end. whats happens next is shocking. It's still a must-read.

A suspense- filled action book
` The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first, unlike, say a brain surgeon.You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping smile.'These are the famous words by the author Robert Cormier.
In his book In The Middle Of The Nighthe has it right.It is filled with twists and turns that are suspense- filled.The book is about a boy named Danny who could never answer the phone because of an incident that happened in his father's past.Someone in the world can't forget what happened and wants revenge.Now, Danny being 16 has the guts to answer the phone.The effect for answering the phone is that Danny has to face a lot of challenges.The theme of this book was that you shouldn't be afraid of new things and that you should be brave no matter what.
Robert Cormier, born in 1925 in Leominster, Massachusetts, was influenced by one of his teachers who told him he was a writer and he believed that.I believe that Robert Cormier wrote In The Middle Of The Nightbecause of stuff that teens experience nowadays.He also wanted to teach something valuable and moral.
The quote ` The beautiful part of writing is that you don't have to get it right the first, unlike, say a brain surgeon.You can always do it better, find the exact word, the apt phrase, the leaping smile.' expresses a lot of rich information.It means that you should keep on trying no matter if it doesn't come perfect the first time.It also means to not be afraid to try new things.It takes time to find out the right word or sentence, but in the end it comes out worth while.
After I read the book In The Middle Of The Night, I figured anyone would enjoy the book, but mostly teens who have a high level in reading and those who like action books with a lot of mystery in them.

In the Middle of the Night
I liked this book becuase it was very suspensful. He also lead to things that you didn't expect coming which was another reason why I liked this book. This book also had somethings that have happened in my life. This was the first book that I've read by Robert Cormier and I am going to read more. I would advise anyone to read this book it is very good. ... Read more

Product Description
EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD ERIC HAS just been released from juvenile detention for murdering his mother and stepfather. Now he’s looking for some tenderness—tenderness he finds in caressing and killing beautiful girls. Fifteen-year-old Lori has run away from home again. Emotionally naive but sexually precocious, she is also looking for tenderness—tenderness she finds in Eric. Will Lori and Eric be each other’s salvation or destruction?

“Cormier is in top form in this chilling portrait of a serial murderer. . . . Gripping.”—School Library Journal, Starred

An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults ... Read more

Customer Reviews (92)

Tenderness
I grew up in Leominster where this author is from and I wish i had known about him when I was in school.
This is one of his finest works.
If you like to seee good books made into terrible movies then check out the movie starring Russel Crowe.

Tenderness
The fact that the mindstate of Lori Cranston is mirrored in so many girls I grew up with.Girls who want the attention, NEED the attention and affection from some kind of male in their life, no matter where that attention and affection come from.
What is so mindblowing about Tenderness is, at times, I found myself sympathizing with Eric.Why?I'm not exactly sure.Maybe it's the optimist in me that was rooting for some kind of miraculous rehabiliation.Proved by the tears shed by Eric in the end, maybe Lori was a tiny part of that rehab.
Although I wish the story would have spent a little more time with the two characters (I feel like the ending was kind of abrupt), I would recommend Tenderness.

Venture Into the Mind of a Psychopath
Robert Cormier is one of the most renowned authors of young adult literature, yet this one falls short of his signature plot twists.The characters, convicted killer Eric Poole and the runaway teen who fantasizes about him, Lori Cranston, are realistic enough - especially in a society that has watched thousands of women lustfully throw themselves at murderer Scott Peterson.While this is a page-turner that will strike an emotional, obsessive chord with young adults, I believe they will be as disappointed as I was with the conclusion of this work.Cormier knew his audience better than this particular novel suggests and it cannot possibly compare with his others (I Am The Cheese; After The First Death).

If this is the first of Cormier's books that you've tried, please don't allow it to cloud your judgment of his writing.Give the aforementioned titles a try - they are definitely worth your time and guaranteed a re-read.

The Tenderness...
This is an entertainingly dark novel.Ends in a fairly predictable, anticlimactic way, but is still great to read.I agree with another reviewer that Cormier takes a seemignly "nice" word and turns it into something quite nasty.For lack of a better term, the use of the words "the tenderness" throughout the novel... Eric is looking for "the tenderness" is really quite "skeevy."These characters are either empty or pathetic.I had to keep reminding myself that there are really people like this out there.This novel will make you shudder and feel like you need a shower afterwards, but all in a good way.

Worst Cormier Book Ever
I like most of Cormier's work, but this one was awful. The characters are dull, the plot is predictable... it lacks the twists and turns of Cormier's other books. I wouldn't even leave this one behind in the coffee shop because I didn't want anyone else to have to read it! ... Read more

Product Description
Events of the hijacking of a bus of children by terrorists seeking the return of their homeland are described from the perspectives ofa hostage, a terrorist, an Army general involved in the rescue operation, and his son. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (78)

books for school
My only disappointment was that I paid for 2 day shipping, but it took nearly 5 days to receive this book.

This book resonates
After reading the last page and putting the book down, I shuddered.I felt real pain for the characters in the end, and I didn't think I liked the book.But throughout the following week, I found myself thinking about the book over and over again. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

I did not like it in the way that I am used to liking books.I generally like a book for a happy ending--a "feel-good" read--and After the First Death was not one of those. It is marketed as Young Adult Fiction, yet it could be quite disturbing to some teens.But I like this book because of the masterful way in which it was written, the somber way it deals with tragic circumstances, and especially for the way that Cormier creates characters that seem more real than my next-door neighbors.

Cormier's writing style is compelling without becoming overbearing.He gives just enough detail to satisfy us as readers without interfering with the storyline.And he addresses a topic that most of us are afraid of.After the First Death is about a small group of terrorists from another country (we never learn which country) that have successfully pulled off a number of other terrorist acts and who hijack a bus full of kindergarten children and hold them and their 16-year-old substitute driver hostage on a bridge while the military tries to rescue the hostages.For every one of the terrorists the military kills, the terrorists promise to kill one child in return.But their drugged candy kills a young boy unintentionally, and the first death sets everything into motion.

The story is unique and thought-provoking, but what really left me thinking about this book after I finished it were the incredibly powerful characters that Cormier has created.The teenage hijacker wants to prove himself a member of the group by successfully killing the bus driver; he is frightened, brainwashed, and struggling with doubts about their motives and his morals; and he loves Elvis Presley, and sings Elvis songs when he gets nervous.The sixteen-year-old bus driver doesn't know much about children and yet must become their protector and comforter, she thinks she can find a soft spot in the teenage hijacker and provide their escape, and she has a weak bladder.It is in these and other fascinating details about the characters that I was drawn into the story.After the First Death has resonated with me as I have questioned the motives of the terrorists, as well as the human pain and also bravery that are shown in this book.

Scary, but realistic page turner
"After the First Death" is a novel written by Robert Cormier in 1979. It is a psychological thriller full of suspense and plot twist and turns. Robert Cormier faces head on issues of terrorism, sexuality, child and parent relationships, and trying to find oneself in situations that lay outside even our worst nightmares.

I enjoyed reading "After the First Death." It is a quick read, but also an interesting one. It is extremely well written and keeps the reader intrigued and wanting to know more. I believe the author wants the audience to gain an appreciation for family. In this book many families are threatened on having their worlds torn apart by horrible people. It is important to cherish those who are closest to us and to love and cherish our families and loved ones. I also think the author wants the reader or audience, to gain a sense of bravery; that no matter who you are, big or small, you can be brave and find in yourself something to keep pushing on and to fight back.

WARNING: This book is depressing and presents certain situations not suitable for children or young adults under the age of 17. It is intended for a mature audience. This book contains explicit language, drugs, brief nudity and sexuality, adult situations, terrorism, and suicide.

An Unexpected Thought-provoking Novel
After the First Death is a stunning young adult novel that has such qualities that make it appealing to young people and adults alike. The book is narrated by three teenagers who have all been involved in a terrorist hijacking of a school bus full of children in a small town near a top-secret Military project. In a post 9-11 U.S.A. this book explores some real emotions that have rippled through the country in the past seven years.

The first of the young narrators is Ben. The son of a military general, begins the story as he is remembering the events. Although the part he plays in the unfolding of the events on the day of the hijacking is crucial, it is not until near the end of the book that this part is revealed. The second narrator is a young terrorist, Miro. This mission is Miro's chance to prove himself as a man to his commander, Artkin. Miro is all at once a terrifying figure and an innocent boy that doesn't seem to comprehend the horror that his life creates in the world. The last narrator is Kate, a sixteen-year-old girl who took over the bus route on the fateful day for her sick uncle. She is kept alive by the terrorists in order to help them keep the young children calm. She is the first woman that Miro has had such close contact with and tries to use that to her advantage in attempts to keep herself and the children safe.

As I began this book, I had no presumptions of what to expect. The style of writing reminded me of J. D. Salinger's narrator in The Catcher in the Rye, although the action of this story is very different. I found the unfolding plot to be extremely interesting and compelling. I would recommend this book to my fourteen-year-old nephew as well as my friends from college. There is a bit of violence that some may find unnerving but is definitely crucial to the storyline. The ending is what sealed the book as a favorite, I did not see it coming yet felt that it was the only way for it to truly end.

Another waste of a novel.....
As I've stated about The Chocolate War, (and I am biased since I don't care for Robert Cormier) I hated this book.I read it freshman year of high school, and again the author talked too much about male sexual repression and went to great depths to describe a young woman urinating in her dress.I felt no sense of danger for the characters and wanted them all to die so the story would end.If you can't get your readers to identify with any of the characters in some small way, why would they want to read your book?This is just another example of deplorable writing.While some people may consider this kind of garbage good literature, I consider it to be nothing more than the author's way of working out pent up sexual aggression.While I do respect those authors who can examine the darker side of life and human nature, one must create characters that are at least somewhat like-able, and while not all stories have to have a happy ending, there has to be some form of redeeming quality to the tale, and it may be as simple as in the way in which it is told by the author. This title is well worth skipping, and I am venturing out to say that I would gladly skip any of his other work while I'm at it. ... Read more

Product Description
Adam's father is in hospital and Adam has set off to visit him. It's a long, cold journey; as he travels along, Adam gets tired, and to take his mind off his exhaustion, he traces the events that led up to his father being taken to hospital. He had testified against government level corruption and the family became the subject of a government-orchestrated protection plan. The journey is a kind of odyssey, a search - through the mysteries of the mind. Adam must unlock the past and really remember it if he is to survive.Amazon.com Review
Imagine discovering that your whole life has been a fiction,your identity altered, and a new family history created. Suddenlynothing is as it once seemed; you can trust no one, maybe not evenyourself. It is exactly this revelation that turns 14-year-old AdamFarmer's life upside down. As he tries to ascertain who he really is,Adam encounters a past, present, and future too horrible tocontemplate. Suspense builds as the fragments of the story areassembled--a missing father, government corruption, espionage--untilthe shocking conclusion shatters the fragile mosaic. Young adultreaders will easily relate to the shy and confused Adam, whosedesperate searching for self resembles a disturbingly exaggeratedversion of the identity crisis common to the teenage years.

Firstpublished in 1977, I Am the Cheese provides an excitingintroduction to psychological thrillers. This sensitive, emotional,subtly crafted novel by Robert Cormier(author of TheChocolate War) was a New York Times Outstanding Book ofthe Year, as well as a School Library Journal Best Book of theYear. --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (300)

The cheese stands alone.
Adam Farmer is riding his bike to Rutterburg, Vermont to visit his Father. It's an old-fashioned bicycle, and he pedals fast on it while donning his father's army jacket and wool cap, a present safely wrapped and tucked inside the basket on his handlebars. He left sporadically, but has the trip seemingly planned out; all the cities he'll pass through along the way, all the stops he'll need to make. But who is Paul Delmonte? Or The Grey Man? And what about Amy Hertz?

Robert Cormier presents a gripping story of a boy's search for his father and for the truth in I am the Cheese (Random House 1977).Half written in transcript from recorded sessions between Adam and an un-described questioner, Brint, the reader uncovers the story piece by piece in a way that creates suspense and arouses page-turning curiosity. Cormier's incredible and descriptive writing makes the reader feel every rut in the road, every glitch of panic and confusion on Adam's journey. With clever plot twists and a shocking ending, this book is a nail biting, page-turner that will leave the reader hungry for more after they finish.

A thrilling adventure.
Adam Farmer doesn't know who he is.His family life is a blur, loved ones are hazy recollections, and some days he can't even recall his own name.Yet, somewhere in the "blanks" of his past he senses a threatening mystery.I Am the Cheese by Robert Cormier (Dell, 1977) is a gripping account of a young man's search for self amidst unstable circumstances and untrustworthy alliances.Adam's tale takes the reader on an adventure spanning far beyond small town norms, encompassing conspiracies, double identities, fledgling government agencies, and corruption.Cormier's blend of interview sessions in tandem with Adam's first-hand recollections of his past and present allows the reader to untangle the layers of this mystery as the details make themselves known to Adam.In the midst of all this external drama, Cormier never forgets that Adam is still a teenager, grappling with the same issues as most teens.It is this factor that will surely keep young readers mesmerized.From Adam's touching memories of his first love, Amy Hertz, to the disillusionment he feels from mistrust of his parents, this thriller knocks the confusion and angst of teenage-dom with uncommon precision.

The Cheese Stands Alone
I Am the Cheese was a strange little mystery.On page one it appears to be the story of a high school age boy leaving home on his bike to visit his father for his birthday.His trip his an ambitious one as he plans to make a seven hour trip from his home in Monument, Massachuttes to Rutterburg , Vermont in one day.However by chapter 2 its clear that this novel is something much more.As the story unfolds,Cormier parcels out the clues slowly until the shocking conclusion is revealed.

This book was read for a book club and its not something I would have selected, however it was a good read.I think that it may have been better had it been fleshed out a bit more.However as it is geared towards a younger audience, I understand why Cormier didn't make it too detailed.I Am the Cheese has a very dark and creepy edge to it, reminiscent of a Hitchcock film.I would highly recommend it to someone in the target audience but for me, despite the nice execution, it was lacking just a little something.

Excellent Mosaic
I Am The Cheese is an excellent book built around a mosaic that leads to a nice twist ending.

We are introduced to a boy, Adam Farmer, as he rides his bicycle on cross-state journey to take a packaged to his father.

Along the way, he encounters big dogs, bullies who try to steal the package and his bike, and memories of his girlfriend - whom he should have called before leaving.

Between the scenes of his trip, you read transcripts of taped conversations between Adam and someone who is trying to help him remember his past.

As the chapters progress, you learn important information as Adam begins to remember more about his parents and his own life.

This book is a great suspense novel that would make a great movie. In fact, they did make it into a movie and I think they should do a remake. It's time we experienced the excellence in true fashion.

One of my childhood favorites
I remember reading this in 7th grade, and it was kind of a reality shock for me. Sort of a morbid sample of reality. Very engaging and unlike anything i had read at that age, and actually was one of the few books that helped me to enjoy reading. ... Read more

Product Description
IT IS THE summer of 1938 when young Paul Moreaux discovers he can “fade.” First bewildered, then thrilled with the power of invisibility, Paul experiments. But his “gift” soon shows him shocking secrets and drives him toward a chilling act.

“Imagine what might happen if Holden Caufield stepped into H. G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, and you’ll have an idea how good Fade is. . . . I was absolutely riveted.”—Stephen King ... Read more

Customer Reviews (64)

What are these people reviewing?
I can't figure out what half these people are writing about in their reviews.This is a rock album, not a book!Who are these people writing about a book when these are all songs.Very strange.Anyways, the music is great.If you like Davy Vain it is good stuff.Maybe the people reviewing books had their minds blown by the songs.

Intrigue and mystery in Massachusetts
In my favorite Robert Cormier that I have read so far, we learn the story of Paul Moreaux.Paul is a teenaeg boy who has inherited the ability to fade, that is, to vanish.When he discovers this at the age of 13, all he can think about is how wonderful this ability will be, but as he gets older and puts his gift to use, he begins to think of it as a curse.

Suspense, mystery, and lots of twists and turns take the reader on a journey from a Massachusetts mill town in 1938 to Manhatten and back.Just when you think you know what the story is about, you realize that you don't as Cormier adds another dimension.

Maknig this book more special and personal for me is that the story is clearly set in Cormier's home town of Leominster, where my family has lived for four generations.While I have never lived there, I've visited there often over the years, and the town is very recognizable in the narrative, from Monument Square to Lake Whalom, the churches, cemeteries, the meadow that is now a shopping mall, and even Mechanic Street, where my grandfather grew up.My grandmother grew up knowing Robert Cormier and I wish I'd had the chance to meet him before he passed away.Because it's my second hometown, Leominster is, to me, a character in the novel, and Cormier paints it beautifully.

Truth and fiction
What if you had the ability to fade, to dissolves from eyesight, to become invisible?What if you could do whatever you wanted?Steal?Find out peoples' secrets?Take revenge?Paul Moreaux is thirteen and lives in the small New England town of Monument.His family are French Canadian and they live with others of the same background in the ghetto of Frenchtown.They are poor working class people, with repetitive factory jobs, and are looked down upon by the U.S. citizens and called "Canucks" by them.Paul struggles with the normal teenage problems of bullying and emerging sexuality.He is about to get a visit from his uncle Adelard who will reveal a special talent (or is it another problem) that they both share: the ability to become invisible.

This is certainly one of Cormier's best, most creative books.There is plenty in it for those who love his dark social realist style, but the fantasy element adds a dimension to his work that enhances it considerably. explores the question of why there are rules and limitations in life.Invisibility brings total freedom, but total freedom if not managed properly brings inherent evil.But what makes one man succumb to evil while another man resists?And what role does sanity and insanity play in evil?These are familiar subjects to those who read Cormier, but this book considers, also, the question of truth in works of art.In the tradition of the gothic novel consists of manuscripts and manuscripts within manuscripts, has three 'main' characters at the center of three interconnected stories, and is narrated sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person.Where does the truth lie in all this written word?Is the story of invisibility a fiction made up by the author Paul to make a point, or are we expected to accept it as reality?We have the Paul of the manuscript, then there is the Paul (the fiction author) that Meredith Martin knew and then there is Cormier himself.Paul writes frequently of events in a New England town called Monument and Cormier, also, often stets his stories in the town of Monument (Now and at the Hour, A Little Raw on Monday Mornings, Take Me Where the Good Times Are, The Chocolate War (Readers Circle) and Beyond the Chocolate War).How much of the 'real' Cormier is in the fictional Paul?Is any text ever really a full reflection of 'reality' and, even more, can we ever really know 'reality' or are we all locked in our own little perspectives?Deep philosophical stuff and enough to make the Post-Modernists slaver with glee!

This book certainly has enough in it to make it idea for a high school book report.What is more it is an exciting read that gets better and better as the story goes on.It is not dull old 'art'.This book gets one of my rare five stars.

Truth and fiction
What if you had the ability to fade, to dissolves from eyesight, to become invisible?What if you could do whatever you wanted?Steal?Find out peoples' secrets?Take revenge?Paul Moreaux is thirteen and lives in the small New England town of Monument.His family are French Canadian and they live with others of the same background in the ghetto of Frenchtown.They are poor working class people, with repetitive factory jobs, and are looked down upon by the U.S. citizens and called "Canucks" by them.Paul struggles with the normal teenage problems of bullying and emerging sexuality.He is about to get a visit from his uncle Adelard who will reveal a special talent (or is it another problem) that they both share: the ability to become invisible.

This is certainly one of Cormier's best, most creative books.There is plenty in it for those who love his dark social realist style, but the fantasy element adds a dimension to his work that enhances it considerably. explores the question of why there are rules and limitations in life.Invisibility brings total freedom, but total freedom if not managed properly brings inherent evil.But what makes one man succumb to evil while another man resists?And what role does sanity and insanity play in evil?These are familiar subjects to those who read Cormier, but this book considers, also, the question of truth in works of art.In the tradition of the gothic novel consists of manuscripts and manuscripts within manuscripts, has three 'main' characters at the center of three interconnected stories, and is narrated sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person.Where does the truth lie in all this written word?Is the story of invisibility a fiction made up by the author Paul to make a point, or are we expected to accept it as reality?We have the Paul of the manuscript, then there is the Paul (the fiction author) that Meredith Martin knew and then there is Cormier himself.Paul writes frequently of events in a New England town called Monument and Cormier, also, often stets his stories in the town of Monument (Now and at the Hour, A Little Raw on Monday Mornings, Take Me Where the Good Times Are, The Chocolate War (Readers Circle) and Beyond the Chocolate War).How much of the 'real' Cormier is in the fictional Paul?Is any text ever really a full reflection of 'reality' and, even more, can we ever really know 'reality' or are we all locked in our own little perspectives?Deep philosophical stuff and enough to make the Post-Modernists slaver with glee!

This book certainly has enough in it to make it idea for a high school book report.What is more it is an exciting read that gets better and better as the story goes on.It is not dull old 'art'.This book gets one of my rare five stars.

Truth and fiction
What if you had the ability to fade, to dissolves from eyesight, to become invisible?What if you could do whatever you wanted?Steal?Find out peoples' secrets?Take revenge?Paul Moreaux is thirteen and lives in the small New England town of Monument.His family are French Canadian and they live with others of the same background in the ghetto of Frenchtown.They are poor working class people, with repetitive factory jobs, and are looked down upon by the U.S. citizens and called "Canucks" by them.Paul struggles with the normal teenage problems of bullying and emerging sexuality.He is about to get a visit from his uncle Adelard who will reveal a special talent (or is it another problem) that they both share: the ability to become invisible.

This is certainly one of Cormier's best, most creative books.There is plenty in it for those who love his dark social realist style, but the fantasy element adds a dimension to his work that enhances it considerably. explores the question of why there are rules and limitations in life.Invisibility brings total freedom, but total freedom if not managed properly brings inherent evil.But what makes one man succumb to evil while another man resists?And what role does sanity and insanity play in evil?These are familiar subjects to those who read Cormier, but this book considers, also, the question of truth in works of art.In the tradition of the gothic novel consists of manuscripts and manuscripts within manuscripts, has three 'main' characters at the center of three interconnected stories, and is narrated sometimes in the first person and sometimes in the third person.Where does the truth lie in all this written word?Is the story of invisibility a fiction made up by the author Paul to make a point, or are we expected to accept it as reality?We have the Paul of the manuscript, then there is the Paul (the fiction author) that Meredith Martin knew and then there is Cormier himself.Paul writes frequently of events in a New England town called Monument and Cormier, also, often stets his stories in the town of Monument (Now and at the Hour, A Little Raw on Monday Mornings, Take Me Where the Good Times Are, The Chocolate War (Readers Circle) and Beyond the Chocolate War).How much of the 'real' Cormier is in the fictional Paul?Is any text ever really a full reflection of 'reality' and, even more, can we ever really know 'reality' or are we all locked in our own little perspectives?Deep philosophical stuff and enough to make the Post-Modernists slaver with glee!

This book certainly has enough in it to make it idea for a high school book report.What is more it is an exciting read that gets better and better as the story goes on.It is not dull old 'art'.This book gets one of my rare five stars.
... Read more

Product Description
IN 1974, AFTER SUFFERING rejections from seven major publishers, The Chocolate War made its debut. An uncompromising portrait of conformity and corruption, it quickly became a bestselling—and provocative—classic for young adults.

“Masterfully structured and rich in theme; the action is well crafted, well timed, suspenseful.”—The New York Times Book Review

“The characterizations of all the boys are superb.”—School Library Journal, Starred

“Compellingly immediate. . . . Readers will respect the uncompromising ending.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred

An ALA Best Books for Young Adults

A School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

A Kirkus Reviews Choice

A New York Times Outstanding Books of the YearAmazon.com Review
Does Jerry Renault dare to disturb the universe? You wouldn't think thathis refusal to sell chocolates during his school's fundraiser would createsuch a stir, but it does; it's as if the whole school comes apart at theseams. To some, Jerry is a hero, but to others, he becomes a scapegoat--atarget for their pent-up hatred. And Jerry? He's just trying to stand upfor what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escapebecoming a pawn in this game of control; students are pitted against otherstudents, fighting for honor--or are they fighting for their lives? In1974, author Robert Cormier dared to disturb our universe when thisbook was first published. And now, with a new introduction by the celebratedauthor, The Chocolate War stands ready to shock a new group of teen readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (386)

A Dark Fable
The enjoyment of fiction usually requires the suspension of disbelief.To enjoy this novel as portrayal of something that could happen in a 1970s parochial school requires that you do more than suspend your disbelief.Take your disbelief, bind it, gag it, blindfold it, stuff cotton into its ears and lock it in the trunk of your car.Then and only then can you read this novel as a slice of life.

However, you can accept a secret (not so secret) society (the Vigils) in a Catholic school having power out of proportion to their numbers; the teachers having full knowledge of their existence and activities; along with a headmaster want-to-be with the ambition of a third-world dictator, if you view this novel as a dark fable.One that would be more at home in a Brothers Grimm setting.

The influence of the powerful is then magnified and unquestioned as in the olden times, not the rebellious 70's.
Motivations become a little clearer when you realize the understory.Those with ambition that are in power wish to remain in power.Those with ambition that are out of power wish to gain power.Both will do anything, even work with each other, for that power and to destroy anyone who threatens that power.

Enter Jerry Renault, someone with no ambition caught between the striving factions.When he defies one, he defies the other and neither can tolerate his defiance.Working together they make his life miserable and then destroy it, almost costing him his life.

One review stated the moral was to "give up".Another, might be that "one person can begin to change the system, but one person alone cannot.If you choose to fight the established power structure, be prepared to lose.Not just the battle, but everything you hold dear".

A good read, but only three stars.

The Refused Chocolate
The Chocolate War: The Refused Chocolate

Do you love to read unpredictable books that always want you to turn to the next page? If you do, then The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier is book you would love to read. This story is good overall, but the plot or the storyline could have been better.

The Chocolate War is a story about this new high school student at Trinity high school. He wants to be apart of the football team but that is it. Jerry Renault is in a situation here. The school is having a chocolate sale, in which he wants no part in. The other students start to make fun of him and beat him up in order to make him sell the chocolates, because it is said to be a Trinity tradition. He wants to play football but everyone, even his teammates, try to murder him so he will start selling the chocolates. They keep beating him up, because to sell the chocolates is part of school spirit and Trinity tradition. So, because he is the only different one, they want to pretty much beat him up. The Vigils is a school group That the teachers find it better to deal with if ignored. The gave an assignment to Jerry saying to sell the most chocolates in the whole school. He said no. No one has ever said no to the Vigils. On top of that the whole school hates him for it too

All else I can tell you about the book is that Robert Cormier maybe much of a curser, but he can make a decent book. Not saying I did not like it, but the ending left you hanging and it was missing a few things in the book. Cormier puts the storyline in a way that you just want to keep reading even though it is not that good of a book.I like Robert Cormier, because it looks look that he loves to make unexpected twists. For example, he writes down that they just beat him up in every way possible. Then the next day the teacher, Brother Leon, asked him if he wanted the chocolates to sell them. I do not know how he still said no.

Will Jerry still stand up? Or will he finally give in to the chocolates? Will he get sent to the hospital? Or will he get transferred to another school? If you do not mind any curse words or inappropriate statements every once in a while then I recommend you read The Chocolate War and see what happens. I honestly do not recommend it for the curse words and inappropriate statements.

Sick, bleak and disturbing
Poor Jerry Renault.He's a teenager--his mom has died, his father and him have no connection and he's trying to fit in at a new school.There's a chocolate sale at the school where students are forced to sell chocolates.A group of school thugs who call themselves the Vigils tell Jerry NOT to sell chocolates.He doesn't...but then they tell him to sell them and he refuses.Jerry's life quickly becomes a living hell and it leads up to a revoltingly violent and sick ending.

I had to read Cormier when I was in college.I read "I Am the Cheese" (which I thought was pretty good) and I read this on my own.This book depressed me to an incredible degree. For days afterwards I was like a zombie--I couldn't get the finmal sequence out of my mind.Even now over 20 years later it STILL bothers me.Seriously--what is the point of this book?The message for teenagers seems to be--conform.Don't fight back cause it could get you killed. Jerry ISN'T killed, as the sequel tells us, but he's beaten to a point where he's near death and Cormier describes it in loving detail.It's actually suggested that Jerry has an eye crushed when he's hit and his face is covered with blood.Seriously--WHY???Sick and pointless.One of my friends read it and said it could never happen so it didn't bother him--but that's not how I felt.I would never allow a kid to read this book.Avoid.The sequel "Beyond the Chocolate War" is more of the same.And Jerry is beaten up AGAIN!

It's okay to do your own thing so long as it's everyone else's thing too!?
I was made to read The Chocolate War back in my early teens. I remember someone telling me that it had loosely been based on actual events. I think that added to the bitter taste it left in my mouth.

The Chocolate war, as I recall it, tells the story of a boy in a very posh school some thirty or forty years ago. I remember the film 'updated it' by having it set in the eighties and where he once ran into a hippie one one scene he now runs into a punk. But I digress.

The protagonist is pressured into selling / buying chocolates for the school. The school's head master (or dean) pretty much recruits the school's thugs to enforce the forced 'volunteer' work. The details of this are blurry to me now all these years later but the ending is still vividly clear in my mind.

Our hero tries very hard to be an individual, to do this own thing and be independent, trying to stand up for his own rights out of principle but then...

Well, at the end of the book the protagonist gets severely beaten and it ends on the note 'It's okay to do your own thing so long as it's everyone else's thing too.' I understand what this book tried to do but all it seemed to do was frighten my fellow classmates of the time into conformity. This is the sort of book that actually discourages free thought and individuality. It's stark, bleak and hopeless. For a fourteen-year-old reading it the only message they get is 'If you try to be yourself around other kids you'll get your ass kicked.' What sort of lesson is that?

I'm all for reading the classics with social commentaries but I don't think this should be required reading for early teens. I think, instead, a more hopeful one taking pride in being an individual should be read instead. The adventures of Robin Hood would be a good example. Children in their early teens are already confused and dealing with peer pressure. And being told 'Be yourself.' can't work if your required reading shows a child being pummeled for just that.

So it's not so much that I think The Chocolate Wars are a bad book but looking back on it now at age twenty-eight I don't think it should be the required reading of teenagers.

By the way, I am a book lover, but you're going to find most of my negative reviews here are going to be toward books I was required to read growing up and how my teacher / fellow students responded to them such as The Old Man and the Sea and Lord of the Flies. Though there were some required readings I did like a lot such as Farenheit 451 and Escape to White Mountains.

Great performance of caricatured story
Frank Muller did a great job performing this audiobook.Unfortunately, the story is filled with stereotyped caricatures.Most of the characters appear nothing more than one-dimensional, with the attempts to 'broaden' them oten falling flat.The end also seems somewhat forced on the story. ... Read more

Product Description
When Karen Jerome walks in on the trashers who are destroying her family's Cape Cod cottage, she is thrown down the stairs and slips into a coma. Reissue. K. SLJ. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (52)

awesome book. anyone passed 11 years old can read this.
I had read this book way back when i was in the 6th grade. Yeah the violence and killings are gritty, but nothing an 11-year old can't handle. And for all the worried mommys: no, this book did not cause me to have thoughts about killing anyone. Only after I watched SawII did i think about such things. But then again, who *hasn't thought about this subject some time or another.

Anyways. Awesome book! Read it and you will never regret it. I could also recommend The Eyes of the Dragon.

A Sad Story of Loss
In the smoldering flames of tragedy and violence, a love blooms and grows strong, but secrets and lies are eating away at its foundation.

There came a point in this novel where I said to myself "If I stop reading now, I won't have to carry in my mind the burden of what is surely to come". But I eventually read on, and am now paying the price of Cormier's relentless, uncompromising ending. I feel a loss and and an ache that will fade in time, just as love may fade. Sometimes it is hard to be human, to feel, to love.

Here we encounter a strong love between two teens, a love that is both uplifting and exciting. A doomed love, but is there no hope that somehow, someway, Cormier will provide a happy ending, a love regained? Cannot love conquer all? Buddy Walker, as you will see, will provide you with the answer.

Suspenseful novel
The boys entered the house on April Fool's Day. However, it was no joke. The boys trashed the place and assaulted Karen Jerome. Karen is left in a coma. Now, Karen's sister, Jane, must deal with the situation. Luckily, she meets Buddy, and the two begin dating. Little does she know that Buddy was one of the boys who trashed her house. How will Buddy tell Jane the truth? All this stress only makes Buddy drink more and more. Unbeknownst to the boys, there is one person that witnessed the attack: The Avenger. The Avenger must make the boys pay for their attack...

Most Robert Cormier books can be summed up in one word: suspenseful. This one is no different. Readers are just waiting for Buddy's identity to be revealed to Jane, Karen to wake up from her coma, and the Avenger to strike. The pacing is done nicely, so readers won't feel impatient waiting for something to happen. From the first page, Cormier takes readers on a journey without holding back. This is saying something, considering We All Fall Down was first published in 1991. Another thing I like about this book is that Cormier uses psychological things more than physical things (other than the trashing) to create the suspense. The ringleader of the boys, Harry Flowers (great last name for such an evil character), is great example of this. He constantly warns Buddy he will tell Jane his identity.

The story is told in alternating chapters with Buddy, Jane, and the Avenger. This works great with the story because it allows readers to see the same events with three different perspectives. Buddy was probably my favorite character of the bunch. When I was reading the novel, I felt pity for Buddy. In this case, pity is not a good thing. It was the you're pathetic sort of pity, if you know what I mean. Jane was an okay character. She just seemed kind of flat. The Avenger is an 11-year-old boy who wants to bring peace to the neighborhood. He's the most intriguing of the bunch because readers don't know much about him in the beginning. However, throughout the novel, Cormier reveals a lot of suprising things about the Avenger, especially at the end.

While not one of my favorite Cormier novels, We All Fall Down is a novel that fans of suspense will enjoy.

Kindle edition-numerous typos
I did enjoy the story itself, however, referring to the Kindle edition, the typos were ridiculous. Obviously this edition was not proofed. I stopped counting after about 40 typos. While I did enjoy the book, the typos are very distracting.

The Real World In a Book
Waffles02/25/07

Title: We All Fall Down Author: Robert Cormier ISBN-0-385-30501-X


The Real World in a Book


This is a scene form We All Fall Down, a realistic fiction. This book has three main characters, Buddy, Jane and The Avenger.This takes place in two towns. The time is the present. All of the characters take part in things that could happen today.

This book has been one of the first books that I have read the really opened my eyes. This is at the top of my list. Number one reason why this is at the top is because. Cormier is a straight shooter, as in he gives it to you have you think it. Cormier also does not "sugar coat" his writing. There for him not sugar coating it, this book as been banned some places.I would definitely recommend this book. This book is one of those books that everyone should read at some point in there life, just because it is a teenager book does not mean that a 50 year old can not read it. The book makes you think about the real world today. Although the book does not have drugs in it to refer today it has a lot of other things in it. Like I said it is an eye opener, but the stuff in this book is happening all over the world today. People in the age range of 13-80 would like this book. An optimistic person would like this book also people with children would enjoy reading and learning what there kid could get involved in.

I enjoyed the genre, the genre is realistic fiction. The book made the genre by being so real to what the genre name is. Also the scenes in the book were so real to the real world it was scary.Also that it is an average town just like places all around the world. Also the book felt like I was reading a newspaper.
I enjoyed the writing style of this writer.His writing flows very well and is very decrypted. There is a point in the book were I wanted to stop reading. But then I read on and the story put me back on the track to read more. Which I am glad I kept reading.
There were loads of surprises in this book. This also intended me to keep going in the book, because it kept me interested. The first page is one of the first surprises that kept me reading. It is in when the boys are in the girl's house and they are trashing and also doing some important this to the house and a girl. This is one of the major scenes that I thought was a surprise, which kept me interested.
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Product Description
Twelve-year old Jason is accused of the brutal murder of a young girl. Is he innocent or guilty? The shocked town calls on an interrogator with a stellar reputation: he always gets a confession. The confrontation between Jason and his interrogator forms the chilling climax of this terrifying look at what can happen when the pursuit of justice becomes a personal crusade for victory at any cost.


From the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com Review
This final novel from the grand master of young-adult fiction is one last jewel in the literary crown of Robert Cormier, who died in November 2000. In it he continues to explore the themes that are so characteristic of his work: guilt and forgiveness, misuse of authority, and the corruption of innocence. But a new book from Cormier is always a surprise, and here he gives us a brilliant evocation of the detective story, in a narrative that centers on the interrogation of a murder suspect.

A 7-year-old girl has been battered to death, and there are no suspects, no leads. The police, under political pressure to make an arrest, bring in Trent, a cold, ambitious professional interrogator who prides himself on his ability to extract confessions. His victim is 12-year-old Jason--the last person to see the girl. We know that Jason is innocent, and halfway through the interrogation Trent realizes it, too, in "a blazing moment." But like a medieval torturer, his goal is confession, not truth, and so he stifles his impulses for good and proceeds with the job, with deeply ironic consequences.

The interrogation itself, which forms the centerpiece of the novel, is dazzling in its elegant thrust-and-parry, its subtle twists and turns, as Jason frantically tries to escape, like a mouse caged with a python. The point of view snaps back and forth so that we are intensely aware of the shifting emotions of both participants in the deadly game. And once again, Cormier has given us an ending that seems provocative and uncomfortable--until we remember that the center of his moral universe was always summed up by the words "if only." (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell ... Read more

Customer Reviews (72)

Quick read for reluctant readers
A quick read for reluctant readers, probably boys especially. Gives the readers a good chance to talk about adult-child relations in terms of power. Also a chance to explore the impact of the justice system on a simplistic level. I read the book in one day. Anyone looking for a deep, thinking-type book will be disappointed; this book is one for kids. (12-14).

A stunning, deeply troubling book
Note: The vote on this review was made by a troll-creature intent on harassing me. The vote does not reflect the book at all!

I read "The Rag and Bone Shop" with a deepening sense of dread. In this his last novel, Robert Cormier uses a brilliant economy of words to create a crescendo of dread and fear. The premonition that terrible things will happen hangs heavy in every word. Robert Cormier was never a writer to paint a rosy picture of childhood. Ugly things can and do happen. As they do here.

Trent is a celebrated interrogator, a master at extricating a confession forcrimes committed from even the most cunning of criminals. Jason is a twelve-year-old boy whose confession Trent is determined to pull out of his heart. After all, Trent's motto has ever been: "I must lie down where all the ladders start,/In the foul rag-and-bone shop of the heart" (Yeats). The victim is seven-year-old Alicia, a child Jason admires and whose company he enjoys. He is considered the prime suspect for her murder.

Two interior monologs, first one, then the other, of Trent and Jason, comprise the majority of the novel. Trent's thrill of the chase, his burning desire to get that confession, his thoughts and reactions to Jason's every facial gesture, every thrill of his body movements, every pause, drive Trent in an increasing intensity of the climax of a confession. Add to that two factors: public demand that the killer be found and a promised reward by the area's senator for Trent "to write his own ticket" if he manages the rag of confession from the litter of bones in the heart of this Jason.

There is no question that the human heart contains rags and bones as the detritus of the human propensity to do evil. Robert Cormier is a master of the story depicting this negative and awful condition. That he frames it in young adult novels is what is so shocking.

Another distressing example from Cormier's body of work is We All Fall Down. (What? This book is out of print?). In it a gang of boys go on a joy ride then break into a house and trash it, including defecating on the floors, writing on the walls, and destroying furniture, pictures, and obviously prized possessions. Later one of the boys meets the girl who lives there. They begin a lovely relationship until he confesses. It is a shocking and heartbreaking novel.

Cormier's most controversial and often banned book (prior to "The Rag and Bone Shop") is The Chocolate War (Readers Circle). This is a devastating story of a boy forced to sell chocolate. It bears the theme of nonconformity trapped in man's inhumanity to man. One does not easily read a Cormier book without considering the rag and bone shop fouling man's heart.

Another reviewer acidly wonders how Cormier could do to Jason what he does. I ask: Why not? It is an awful thing, but given his character and his nature, he acts legitimately. No, the ending makes me sick, but I think Cormier expressed a very damning road that some people willingly and knowingly take as their choice for their life's journey."You are what you do."

A rapid reading
This book is easy to read, and not boring, I hope to read some other books by the author

The Rag and Bone Shop
I purchased a class set of this novel for my freshmen class. The enthusiasm for it was overwhelming and although it is a tragic topic, the resolution was appropriate for this age level. It is an easy read and allowed for most reading levels. Vocabulary is fairly basic and the concepts were clear. I highly recommend it as an independent reading book which can also be easily summarized and critiqued by the students

Exploring the Human Condition with R. Cormier
When seven-year-old Alicia Bartlett is mysteriously murdered, Trent, a relentless ace investigator for the police department, finds himself faced with a difficult and irresistible moral decision. Is it worth the risk to sacrifice truth for the sake of his impeccable reputation? As Trent interviews Jason, a thirteen-year-old friend of the victim and the last person to see her alive, he questions whether or not the innocent, naive boy, too, is expendable. With no clues as to the identity of the murderer, Trent's hard-earned, perfect record of criminal confessions is in danger. But young Jason has even more to lose.

Concisely and subtly, yet effectively and without didacticism, Cormier bravely poses a question facing the human condition: what price would one pay for success, love, and reputation? In this dark novel, the protagonist struggles against himself. The reader is afforded a glimpse of the same "foul rag and bone shop of the heart" of humanity that Trent claims to visit in each criminal he interrogates. The backdrop settings, from the freshness of a sunny and carefree early-summer vacation day, to the sweltering confines of the tortuous interrogation room, are highly effective in reinforcing the chacterization and heightening the tension of the plot. The unexpected denouement is thought-provoking and alarming. This novel may not be for everyone, though. Raw emotional brutality is part of the plot and may be too frank and offensive to some readers.
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Product Description
Eugene is remembering the summer of 1938 in Frenchtown, a time when he began to wonder “what I was doing here on the planet Earth.” Here in vibrant, exquisite detail are his lovely mother, his aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, and especially his beloved, enigmatic father. Here, too, is the world of a mill town: the boys swimming in a brook that is red or purple or green, depending on the dyes dumped that day by the comb shop; the visit of the ice man; and the boys’ trips to the cemetery or the forbidden railroad tracks. And here also is a darker world–the mystery of a girl murdered years before. Robert Cormier’s touching, funny, melancholy chronicle of a vanished world celebrates a son’s connection to his father and human relationships that are timeless.Amazon.com Review
Robert Cormier, much-lauded author of fiction for teens, pullsa switch on his readers with this memoir in blank verse, and proves tobe an equally dazzling success as a poet. The story takes place in thestreets, alleys, and tenements of the French-Canadian district ofMonument called Frenchtown, familiar to Cormier fans from Fade, Heroes, and Tunes for Bears to DanceTo. A bookish young boy, lonely in his big family, spends histhirteenth summer watching, learning, fearing, wondering--"in the dayswhen I knew my name, but did not know who I was." He yearns for asign of love from his enigmatic, silent father, and hides a terriblesecret about his beloved uncle and the girl whose broken body wasfound in the woods long ago. This is vintage Cormier--he has distilledthe most powerful themes and images of his previous books into oneintensely beautiful and deceptively small work. Every poem is capableof standing alone, yet each additional chapter adds insights andevents to carry the story forward. The voice is natural and easy,recognizable from his earlier novels but with heightened emotionalimpact. Poetry-loving teens will take this book to heart, along withother verse novels like Stop Pretending, bySonya Sones; ForeignExchange, by Mel Glenn; and Karen Hesse's NewberyAward-winning Out ofthe Dust. (Ages 10 and older) --Patty Campbell ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

Old times
Frenchtown Summer was an interesting book and It made remember alot of things from when I was Younger. I remember when i use to come home from school and my mom would be happy to see me she would hug and kiss me. This was exactly what the character Eugene use to get. Eugene was a bored little kid who lived on Mechanic street and everyday would run paper routes. I use to do similar things like Eugene constructive positive things and had a young good looking mother like him when I was younger.

Frenchtown Summer
This is a very different format for the author, but very readable.Anyone who has grown up in Massachusetts will surely recognize Frenchtown as Leominster.I could personally relate to the setting, sights and smells portrayed in this short, unique book.It was a nostalgic trip back to my hometown after being away for 50 years.

Didn't work for me...
I really enjoy Robert Cormier's novels. I've read several of them and enjoy the Monument, Frenchtown setting particularly of some of them. I also like YA novels in verse, Hesse's "Witness" and Koertge's "Shakespeare Bats Cleanup," for instance, are terrific.Other reviewers here have quoted the first four lines of the book: "That summer in Frenchtown/ in the days/ when I knew my name/ but did not know who I was./ Perhaps I would have liked Eugene's story more a few years later when he did know who he was.This was uninvolving.Cormier's heroes tend to be lonely and loners, observers as Eugene is, but he's so very cut off.
I imagine I will *love* the next Cormier novel I read.

More Plot, story and poetry than other free verse novels
FRENCHTOWN SUMMER is brilliant.Where other free verse novels
seem to be words thrown together in quick, uneven fashion,
this one (like OUT OF THE DUST and JUDY SCUPPERNONG) has
heart, poetic language and story. Robert Cormier has succeeded
in giving us real, solid, amazing literature.
Page after page is an easy, quick, yet worthy read.

Frenchtown Summer
Frenchtown Summer is a book written in verse form.It is written from the point of view of Eugene, a 12-year-old, and tells the story of his summer living in Frenchtown, hence the title.

I was disappointed in this book.When I first saw it, I thought since it was short it would be very easy to read.This book was 113 pages long, but it took me 4 days to read it, which is sad since usually I finish books in this format in a day.

This book has no plot.All it is is this kid telling about different things that happened in his summer.The only thing close to a plot is him feeling separated from his family, especially his father, and then at the end he finally feels close to him.But that is just a minor part of the story, the rest of it is just descriptions of random things.The first few chapters aren't too boring or anything.They set the stage and setting for what seems like a good story.But then the rest of the chapters pretty much just describe random things.All of those random chapters are tied together slightly, but not enough to make it a good story.

If you are looking for an action-packed story, find another book.Even if you are looking for a book that describes a 12-year-old's summer, there are better books out there.If you are looking for a good book of poems that tells a good story, tying in the random chapters really well, there are also better books out there.Try Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse or What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones.If you are looking for a book that you can finish fast and read easily, don't be misled, this isn't one of them.This book just doesn't have that element that good books have that keep you wanting to read more.Sure, it's not the most boring book I've read, but it's sure one of them.

The way the verses are written isn't bad.They are actually written pretty well.This is a talented author, but this book isn't one of his best. ... Read more

Product Description
A masterful portrayal of hatred, prejudice and manipulation that challenges readers to examine how they would behave in the face of evil. Henry meets and befriends Mr. Levine, an elderly Holocaust survivor, who is carving a replica of the village where he lived and which was destroyed in the war. Henry's friendship with Mr. Levine is put to the test when his prejudiced boss, Mr. Hairston, asks Henry to destroy Mr. Levine's village.


From the Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (30)

Sometimes the greatest evil lies inside ourselves.
With the troops from WWII just reentering the job market, eleven-year-old Henry Cassavant is lucky to work at the Corner Market owned by Mr. Hairston. Even if his boss is a bigot.

Henry's family is going through hard times. His brother recently died, and his family's moved to a new town to work through the grieving process. His mother is working multiple jobs to help pay the bills. His father is hit the hardest, falling into a deep depression that sends him to "the hospital across town" for help.

Through simple curiosity, Henry befriends the elderly Mr. Levine, a Holocaust survivor who lives in the "Crazy House" next door to Henry's family. His friendship with the old man, contrasted with the racism of his boss, makes for a crazy end to the story.

Don't let this novel's length deceive you...TUNES FOR BEARS TO DANCE TO is a short, powerful little read that tackles the deep topics of racism, depression, and child abuse. Henry's story will no doubt leave readers thinking and wondering: What would we do in the same situation? What does it mean to be a good person? How far would we go to make ends meet?

With cutthroat tension, Robert Cormier reminds us all that sometimes the greatest evils lurk in the most familiar of places. Sometimes, they're inside ourselves.

--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens

Sorrows
Henry is a very sad boy.His older brother recently died, and his parents are living in the depths of sorrow.In order to escape their memories, they have moved themselves and Henry to a new town, where he doesn't have any friends and where they live next door to a mental hospital.When Henry's knee is broken and in a cast, he watches an old man leave the hospital every day and come back every evening.When Henry's knee is better, he follows the man.

Mr. Levine, the man Henry follows, is a Holocaust survivor.Every day he goes to the community art center, where he is working on carving an exact wooden replica of the village the Nazis destroyed, where he used to live.

Henry tells his employer about this man.But Henry's employer is evil.He makes Henry promises--he tells him all of the nice things he will do for Henry.But he will only do these things if Henry does something awful for him.If Henry doesn't do it, this man promises to ruin his life.

I liked the characters of Mr. Levine and the man who runs the art center.They are both very kind and very strong.I liked how Henry resolves his problem and gains a sort of power.I was frustrated by the fact that the evil characters always seemed to be much stronger and more powerful than the good characters, though.

Tunes for bears to dance to
Very good book.The author elevated our interest well with the story as well as the emotions it carries.My son and I both enjoyed it.

Tunes For Bears To Dance To
The book was very interesting. The characters helped a lot to, each of them helped make the book even more interesting. Mr. Levine with his little wooden village, Henry and his curiosity (it's a gift and a curse), and Mr.Hairston, well it wouldn't be that interesting of a book if everybody was nice. Mr.Hairston did help to spice things up a little bit with his little scheme and his always moody attitude. Other than the ending which I thought was rather sudden, the book was in all pretty good.

Tunes for Bears to Dance to
This compelling novel written by Robert Cormier is about a young boy, named Henry who moves to a new town after the death of his brother.Henry works at a grocery store.His boss, Mr. Hairston, hears about Henry's new friend, Mr. Levine.When Mr. Hairston found out that Mr. Levine was a jew he ordered Henry to ruin Mr. Levine's model village that he had worked so hard on.If Henry does not do what he is told his life would be ruined.Henry is faced with a very important decision.To find out whether he makes the right decision you will need to read the book. ... Read more

Product Description
Meet seventeen-year-old Mike, who visits his grandmother's bedside and learns a family secret.



A divorced father who discovers only love, not bribes, can keep his daughter 'his' on Thursdays.



And Jerry, a young boy desperately looking for the missing Grover Cleveland card to complete his set of president cards.



Here are nine stories by Robert Cormier, one of the most gifted writers of young adult fiction today; stories that are warm, touching, and intensely personal--to be savored by readers of all ages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

A Writing Teacher's Perspective
Fine craftmanship is the hallmark for Robert Cormier's storytelling abilities. This book is different from his other works. Each short story begins with an introduction that focuses on a different concept for writing. He not only tells the story, the introduction tells how he came up with the story idea. For example, the introduction to the first story focuses on choosing your perspective when writing. The themes of the story are love and the agony of middle age. Mr. Cormier uses the short stories to model his craftmanship for other writers. If you are looking for his usual work, this book isn't like the others and you might want to keep looking. If you are looking for insight into the craftmanship of writing, this is a great book!

Only sporadically interesting.
Eight Plus One is a collection of short stories inspired by Cormier's life as a father and teenager - three set during the great depression, four from the view of a father, and five as a teenager.

`The Moustache' is from the view of a teenager who grows a moustache. He visits his grandmother, who thinks he is her husband.

`Mine on Thursday' describes a father's weekly day-out with his natural daughter. He lets her go on a ride in a fun park, but she comes out depressed from the experience. The father comes to realises that he does not own his daughter on Thursday.

`Another of Mikes Girls' shows how a teenager guy goes out with an attractive girl, but eventually split up. The father, who narrates the story, knows that she was just another of Mike's Girls.

`President Cleveland, where are you?' is set during the depression where card collecting and trading was the trend.

`A bad time for Fathers' shows the depressing time for a father when his daughter leaves to college.

`Protestants Cry, too', is a short story on religious discrimination, where a Canadian teenager becomes engaged to a Protestant.

`Guess What? I Almost Kissed my father Goodnight', is the story of a teenager's discovery that his father is all too human.

`My first Negro' shows how an African American and a White American can be friends if they break the barrier of discrimination.

`Benny Berigan - Wasn't he a Musician or Something?' is a short story of a father's friend leaving his wife for another woman who, though extremely attractive, will one day loose her beauty.

My Review
Have you ever felt like you were living the story that you were reading? Well that is how I felt reading 8 Plus 1 by Robert Cormier. It is a collection of 9 short stories. The one that I enjoyed the most was the story called "Bunny Berigan----Wasn't He a Musician or Something." In this story I felt like it was very detailed, you just get trapped into the story. I liked the fact that Robert Cormier was so specific about the story that he just made me feel as if I knew the characters and as if I was part of the story.
I felt like it related to everyday life, it wasn't just fiction story, I felt as it was very realistic. It is stuff that could happen every day.
It was kind of difficult at the same time because they are all different stories but the characters are all kind of in the same setting and situation, for example he used the same characters and the same situations in a couple of the stories.( when I first started to read it I thought it was all one big story). The stories are all in the same setting and in the same time period. Also the stories are all kind of based on family issues and depression for all of settings of all the stories.
I have heard that Robert Cormier actually put together stuff that actually has happened to him and created it in to this book. I think that it just is amazing to be so open about your whole life.
In conclusion I thought that the book 8 Plus 1 was pretty awesome it had some bad and some good, but mostly good. It was very interesting.

Rather. . . pointless
As much as I hate to admit this, 8+1 was so flat and monotonous that I could barely finish it. Cormier's purposeless stories meant nothing to my mind, and as the ALAN Reviews calls him "a sensitive loving writer", I prefer the Cormier that writes the engaging, page-turning thrillers that I've read before. Much rather than this insignifigant collection.

A Review on 8 Plus 1
8 plus 1 is a very well known book by Robert Cormier.This book is intended for young adults.Cormiers draws from his past life experiences to come up with his fictional yet realistic characters and plots.For instance he uses the Depression as a setting for many of his stories.The stories include everyday and sometimes sensitive themes for the growing generation, like stereotyping and prejudice issues.Before each story, Cormier uses an introduction to each story to give a general backround. By reading this book, I have gained a stronger sense of life through his character's problems and solutions.These interesting and ever maturing characters with their suspensueful plots kept me constantly intertwined with the story.The following are less desirable qualities about the book.For the fact that Cormier uses the same characters for some of his stories, it makes it a little confusing.Also some other events that he uses for his plot are offensive or perhaps shocking to a more sensitive viewer. Overall, Robert Cormier uses themes that involve regularly occurring problems that previous authors dared not venture. ... Read more

Product Description
The school year is almost at an end, and the chocolate sale is past history.But no one at Trinity School can forget The Chocolate War.

Devious Archie Costello, commander of the secret school organization called The Vigils, still has some torturous assignments to hand out before he graduates.In spite of this pleasure, Archie is troubled by his right-hand man, Obie, who has started to move away from The Vigils.Luckily Archie knows his stooges will fix that.But won't Archie be shocked when he discovers the surprise Obie has waiting for him?

And there are surprises waiting for others.The time for revenge has come to those boys who secretly suffered the trials of Trinity.The fuse is set for the final explosion.Who will survive? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (43)

Not as depressing as the first but not good
I hated "The Chocolate War".I found it disturbing, depressing and the ultimate message (conform--or else) to be frightening.Cormier had no intention of making a sequel but for years he got letters asking what happened to the main characters.So--he wrote this.The protagonist in the first (Jerry Renault) has survived the brutal beating that ended the first book.However, he's beaten up AGAIN (although not as bad) and this is shown as a positive thing!!!Archie and the Vigils are up to their sick power games again and Brother Leon is still a twisted pathetic man.Also this book contains a teenage suicide which is just harrowing.It DOES end on a positive note (that's why I'm giving it two stars) but Cormier seems to enjoy going into great detail about all the humiliation and beating students endure.this book is out of print...hopefully it will remain that way.

Unnecessary sequel
This book, obviously the sequel to The Chocolate War, serves only to tie up the first book's loose ends and let the reader know that life at Trinity School, which is already miserable, will get even worse. (Megan Dimmerling's review claims that good wins in this book; that's not true.) It's just a sequel, not the horrifying masterpiece of sick nihilism that The Chocolate War is.

Great book!
This is a great book, and a worthy sequel to Robert Cormier's outstandingbook The Chocolate War. I was afraid that the sequel would not live up to the standards set by its predecessor, but it lives up to expectations, and even passes the level of quality in the Chocolate War. It's everything you want in a sequel.
The book starts out slow, but then you realize it starts it out slow for a reason, as it needs to introduce some key characters and plots that will be in play in the book. It soon gets into the action, though, with robert Cormier doing what he does best: Making Archie manipulate others, even manipulating his two top officers, Carver and
Obie. This book touches on subjects that other young adult authors don't, such as rape, extortiong, and cruelty in schools.And at the end, everything culminates into an immensely satisfying conclusion.

Sinister playground
Here again is the dark world of Jerry Renault, 'The Goober', Archie Costello, Obie, Carter, the loner Janza, Brother Leon and even Tubs Casper.Cormier once again describes so well how frightening and cruel a school-yard can be.Once again Archie Costello and the Vigils hang like sinister spiders waiting for their prey.

Cormier, however, has been careful not to fall into the trap of simply repeating his earlier, highly successful book The Chocolate War (Readers Circle).This second novel certainly goes 'beyond' that first story.There is, for example, the new character of Ray Bannister, a 'transfer' student from another town, rejected by the others boys but hiding remarkable talents.Also we see how earlier events have changed people like Jerry Renault.David Caroni is a very interesting transformed character.He is the once 'A' grade student who was forced by Brother Leon to be a 'snitch'.Most importantly this second book centers around Obie.He was once Archie's right hand man, but now is in love and seems to be drifting away from the Vigils.Will Obie finally redeem himself, or are the temptations of evil too strong?

asked can a bad system be defeated?This book asks what motivates us to do wrong, and what are the consequences of wrong doing?These are surprisingly heavy questions for teenage novels and Cormier's analysis is brutally honest.These questions are, however, not out of the scope of the intended audience.

Sinister playground
Here again is the dark world of Jerry Renault, 'The Goober', Archie Costello, Obie, Carter, the loner Janza, Brother Leon and even Tubs Casper.Cormier once again describes so well how frightening and cruel a school-yard can be.Once again Archie Costello and the Vigils hang like sinister spiders waiting for their prey.

Cormier, however, has been careful not to fall into the trap of simply repeating his earlier, highly successful book The Chocolate War (Readers Circle).This second novel certainly goes 'beyond' that first story.There is, for example, the new character of Ray Bannister, a 'transfer' student from another town, rejected by the others boys but hiding remarkable talents.Also we see how earlier events have changed people like Jerry Renault.David Caroni is a very interesting transformed character.He is the once 'A' grade student who was forced by Brother Leon to be a 'snitch'.Most importantly this second book centers around Obie.He was once Archie's right hand man, but now is in love and seems to be drifting away from the Vigils.Will Obie finally redeem himself, or are the temptations of evil too strong?

asked can a bad system be defeated?This book asks what motivates us to do wrong, and what are the consequences of wrong doing?These are surprisingly heavy questions for teenage novels and Cormier's analysis is brutally honest.These questions are, however, not out of the scope of the intended audience. ... Read more

Product Description
Discusses the life and works of well-known author Robert Cormier. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

This book helped me a whole lot to learn about Cormier!
I am a student from Germany and we had to read the book "After the first death"'. Since I am not a native American it was a little hard to understand for me! This book was great and it helped me a lot understanding what Cormier means

Impressive account of Robert Cormier's career
I first read this book a few years ago and was impressed by the author's detailing of Robert Cormier's career intertwined with his novels (much is devoted to The Chocolate War).Well worth reading.Hopefully the author,Patricia Campbell, will write a revised version soon.

Very good!
This is NOT your typical biography. I read it this morning, expecting it to start out: Robert Cormier was born on January 17, 1925 in Leominster, Massachusetts... Not so! Quite the contrary. The book began intriguinglyand held me to the last page. I learned a lot about Robert Cormier, who ismy favorite author. I hold him in very high esteem and this book made melove him more. There were also chapters about his books, and the ones aboutI am the Cheese and After the First Death were very helpful in getting meto understand those two very confusing novels. 'Presenting Robert Cormier'was also very funny at times, such as when it described Robert deliberatelytripping and falling flat on his face in front of an audience ofhigh-schoolers so they could see that he was human and not be afraid ofhim. I can see Robert doing that, and it is very funny. Another thing Iliked: the part in the back about the movie versions of his books I am theCheese and The Chocolate War. Did you know that Robert Cormier himselfplayed a role in one? In conclusion I find this a very interesting, funny,informative book. Well done! ... Read more